A Brief Glimpse
by Wedjatqi
Summary: A visit to an alternate universe results in John seeing something he never would have predicted. JT. Part of Fic Tag with Gater101


Part of Fic Tag with Gater101, set around a line from her fic 'Tales from the Brewery Floor'. (Sorry it's taken so long!)

**Disclaimers**: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money etc etc…..

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They arrived outside the familiar door. John had taken the lead, as he was used to finding his way here, and Rodney and Carson had trailed along behind him. As John stood in front of the door he paused and found himself looking up and down the corridor to check no one was watching. Which was a foolish thing to do as no one in this reality could see them thanks to the cloaking fields they each wore. Rodney, having seen this, proceeded to remind John once again of that fact.

"No one can know we're here. Remember to push slowly and the phase shield will let you walk through the door. Let's get the numbers and get out of here." Rodney said quietly.

"If no one can see or hear us why are you whispering, Rodney?" John asked testily. They had been walking around this other version of Atlantis for hours and John had almost had enough of Rodney today.

Rodney opened his mouth to respond when Carson, who also appeared to be losing his patience with Rodney, interrupted the beginnings of the childish argument. "Let's just get in there." The Scotsman said with controlled patience.

"Fine." John agreed and turned his attention to the door in front of him.

He had managed to walk through several walls today thanks to the phasing shield, but it was still a bizarre experience. The ancient shields they wore hid them from view by shifting them slightly out of phase with the alternate reality around them, but not so much that they would fall through floors or whatever. But, with concentration and mental focus they could push their way through a wall or like now; a doorway.

For the most part they had been following people around the city listening to conversations and collecting up the information on the Wraith bases they were after. So most of the day had been spent looking over scientists' shoulders and noting down scan details and letting Rodney pick up bits and pieces from the conversations around them. Now however, they were after a specific collection of data which had apparently been given to John's own counterpart to discuss at a meeting later that day. So, they had spent the last half an hour looking for the other Sheppard around the base, only to overhear that he had gone to his quarters for his break. So here they were; outside his own quarters that were owned by another John Sheppard.

John took a breath, preparing himself for the suffocating feeling of pushing through a solid object and pressed his hand forward, watching it disappear through the door; this was so weird. He leant his body forward and stepped forward quickly through the door; and then suddenly back out again.

"What's wrong?" Rodney demanded as he narrowly avoided colliding with John.

John turned his back to the door. "We're not going in there." He knew his face was flushed, but tried to use his leadership tone.

"Why not? We need that data." Rodney insisted.

"Well, we can wait till the meeting later. It's probably better that way anyway." John thought quickly.

Rodney turned his wrist to look at the watch like device set around his arm. "We have no idea how much longer the shields will hold. When they run out of power we will be pulled back to our reality. We can't afford to sit around on our hands waiting for the meeting later."

John looked nervously over his shoulder at the door.

"Why can't we go in there?" Rodney asked his tone finally suspicious.

"Ummm….I'm naked. He's, the other me… he's naked." John replied. That part wasn't a lie at least.

Both Rodney and Carson gave him an incredulous look. "So? We won't look, will we Carson?" Rodney offered whilst exchanging an amused look with Carson, who shook his head as well, promising not to look.

"You're not going in there." John stressed.

"He'll be dressed again in a minute won't he? We'll go in then." Rodney suggested.

John didn't think his counterpart was in any hurry to get dressed.

"Why don't you just go in by yourself?" Carson suggested helpfully **with a smile that was verging on cheeky** **lighting his face.**

John looked at him with wide eyes. God, he couldn't go back in there. The image was already burnt into his mind and he didn't need to add more fire to the newly smouldering warmth filling his body.

Rodney narrowed his eyes at John. "There's a woman in there isn't there?"

John scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Maybe."

Rodney shifted in place and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Either there is or there isn't. Unless in this reality you've had one of those operations. Hey, we won't judge you, will we Carson?"

"No." Carson shook his head again, not even trying to hide the laughter in his smile now.

"Fine, yes there's a woman in there, okay."

"So what's the problem?" Rodney asked and then lifted one amused eyebrow. "Are they…busy?"

John wanted to punch him. "No, Rodney. We're not busy now."

"Oh, I see, they've finished have they?" Rodney was enjoying this far too much, and Carson had to look away in a pale attempt to hide his laughter.

"Yes, this is all very funny." John said bitterly.

Carson looked back at John obviously making a concerted effort not to smile this time. "Colonel, just dash in there, note down the information nice and quick and then we can head back home to our reality."

John looked back at the door behind him.

"Why don't you want to go in there?" Rodney asked again now highly suspicious. "It is a _woman_ right?" John just glared at him.

They were right he just needed to get the information quick and get out. Walk with his back towards the bed the whole time. Though his counterpart had been heading to the bathroom when he had looked in before, perhaps he would still be in there. If John could get to the information and out again before the other Sheppard returned, he might be able to pretend he hadn't seen what he had. Hadn't seen the bed sheet barely covering her body, a dusky nipple peeking out from the sheet she held to her body. She had been watching the other Sheppard with satisfied eyes as he had walked naked to the bathroom.

John was getting warm again.

"How about I go in, Colonel?" Carson offered gently.

"No! Fine, I'll do it." John reached out feeling the tingle of the shields interacting and snatched the computer tablet out of Rodney's grasp. "Just, go stand down the corridor." He ordered as he hustled them away from the doorway.

"It's not like we're going to see anything." Rodney protested. "And the doors are fully soundproof."

"Just go stand down there, in case one of them leaves." John pushed harder at Rodney's closest shoulder. Carson had already backed off a couple of metres, so Rodney joined him and they stood watching John. John waved them further down the corridor. With rolling eyes they backed up some more.

John turned to the solid door in front of him and replayed the brief glance he had had of the room before. The layout was pretty much the same as his own quarters. He closed his eyes and stepped through the door, the tingling feeling of resistance lasted only a second and then he was in the room, his eyes locked down on the floor in front of his feet.

Okay, he could do this. He could hear talking; damn the other Sheppard had returned from the bathroom. But, then if John had had that view waiting for him back in his bed he could understand why he had returned quickly. John edged forward cautiously humming out loud to hide the quiet voices from himself.

He was doing okay until he saw the familiar pieces of clothing scattered across the floor in his path. Damn it. He didn't need to see that! So he turned to face the wall and was greeted by his Johnny Cash poster. That helped and he focused on the new location of the poster as he edged sideways across the room towards his desk. Why did he have to put the desk on the far side of the room? When he got back home he was going to put his bed further from the doorway and the desk right by the entrance. When he thought about it that sounded like a better place for it anyway and he would certainly need to change his quarters round after this. He only hoped that would help him to not dwell on what he had seen here.

He finally reached the desk and looked down at the untidy surface. It appeared the other Sheppard had dumped all his work over the desk during his break, but then he probably had been distracted when he got here. Fortunately the tablet was unobstructed so John leant down over it. The screen was dark; sleeping unused. John extended one finger and focused intently as he moved his finger towards the screen. He felt rather like Patrick Swayze in Ghost. After a couple of tries enough energy had built up on the shield to trigger the screen and it jumped to life. John waited to see if the two occupants of the bed had noticed. He heard only light laughter; his own from across the room, which was beyond bizarre to hear. Then she laughed in return; a cheeky sexy little giggle.

John began to hum again, only much louder this time. He quickly turned to the tablet resting in his arm and hurriedly copied the display down, so grateful that what he needed was on the counterpart screen and he didn't have to spend long minutes trying to press other buttons on the tablet to find it.

After a minute of loud humming and typing he thought he had it all. He looked at the tablet in his hand to check, only to see that it was partially reflecting the room behind him. His eyes shifted in focus seeing the blurred image of the two in the bed behind him. The sheet was pulled up over them thank God, but it was obvious they were locked in a long passionate kiss.

Arousal poured through John and it snapped him out of his voyeurism. He started up the loud humming again, adding some slurred hurried lyrics this time, and quickly edged back along the wall towards the door. The rustling and moans from the bed were getting louder and it was becoming harder to ignore what was happening. He considered putting his fingers in his ears, but instead chose to run quickly across the room to the door.

He reached it and paused. Temptation beckoned for a moment. Behind him he could hear gasps and his own counterpart's purr of satisfaction which made John cringe. But, along with that were the soft whimpering sounds of Teyla's pleasure. The brief image of her in his bed earlier had been so intense he couldn't imagine ever being able to forget it. Her bare leg had been draped over the edge of his bed, as was one relaxed arm, the other had held the sheet to her breasts and that one nipple just slightly visible from around the folds of the sheet.

No, he needed to get out of here. He forced himself hurriedly through the door and stumbled through into the corridor. He took a deep cool breath and tried to regain some control. How would he be able to look Teyla in the eye back home after what he had seen and heard?

"You get it?" Rodney demanded from down the corridor.

The burst of annoyance helped to push aside the worries and the lingering feelings of arousal. He held up the tablet. "Yes, Rodney, I got it." He strode down the corridor past them, thrusting the tablet into Rodney's arms. "Let's get out of here."

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Pos TBC


End file.
